The South Buxton Raceway is under new ownership and they also have a new name.
Henry Kroeker and Maria Reimer of Ruthven, have purchased the former South Buxton Raceway just outside Chatham and are re-naming the facility the Southern Ontario Motor Speedway
The pair say they want a fresh start for auto racing in rural Chatham-Kent.
Race fans and drivers alike caught wind of the track’s sale in the month of September.
It was announced that an offer was put in on the purchase of the speedway not too long after.
Henry is excited about his new endeavor here in Chatham-Kent.
With experience as a track owner and promoter in the United-States at the former, East Texas Speedway.
Kroeker brings a fresh outlook to the table for our local dirt track.
“I built East Texas Speedway in 2012,” said Kroeker, in a press release.
“I began to get heavily involved in auto racing in 2009 and come 2012 I wanted my own facility. We are taking over a track and are starting fresh with what we have here. It is going to be a process but in time the facility will be all new.”
Kroeker said new upgrades are coming to the speedway.
“New washrooms are one of our main goals for the 2019 season, for the fans,” he said.
The drivers will see some upgrades as well but not what Kroeker has mentioned is coming in 2020.
“In 2020, we plan on revamping the racing surface, a configuration change, and a wider racing surface. But for this season improvements to the quality of track surface we currently have is a fair goal to achieve,” he said.
Drivers and fans alike have asked if the history of the track will go away.
“Absolutely not,” Kroeker said.
“We will still honor the histories of the track and continue the Wall of Fame as well continue to hold the Joey Atkinson Memorial Shootout in memory of the founder of the speedway.”
Kroeker said many people have asked ‘why the name change.’
“We wanted to start fresh, we want this to be all new for everyone,” he said.
The 2019 season is approaching fast and fans won’t see many changes with the racing divisions.
“Last season’s car counts were up in all the divisions, and we don’t want to lose that… if anything we want them to grow more. It is not fair to the drivers for us to come in and make big changes to the division we have,” he said.
Scheduling is currently in the works.
“We do plan on holding some specials this season. The Action Sprint Tour is looking for dates, as well we are looking to hold some modified shows. We look forward to being a part of the Duel On The Dirt Thunderstock Series as well,” he said.
Schedules should be available in the new year.
